Automobile projectile.



H. E. moo;A AUTOMOBILE PROIEITILE.v APPLICATION FILED FEB. I7, I9I6.

Patented J lily 3, 1917.

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i To all rwhom it may concern HENRY E. ELRGD, F DALLAS, TEXAS.

AUTOMOBILE' PROJECTILE.

Be it known that I, HENRY E. ELRoD,` a

, citizen of the United States, residing at Dallas, in the. county of Dallas and State of Texas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automobile Projectiles, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates toa self-propelling .l

vehicle adapted to be controlled from a remote point and carrying upon it, one or more instrumentalities for offense in warfare or for attacking defensive barriers.

One object of the invention is to provide a vehicle having at its forward end, means lfor 5 reducing a barrier such as av wire entanglement, and tothis end, one feature of the invention consists'in providing an Yautomatic wire clipping device at the forward end of .the vehicle;l and so disposing and fashioning the same, as well as the prow of the vehicle that with'severance of the wire entanglement in a vvertical line once achieved, the .ve-

5.- hicle lwill wedge itself through and enlarge the opening without involving rany of its` 2 5y .mechanism with the entanglement.

f Another obj ect is `to provide propelling meansk-that-wil'l not only be efl'ectivein `insuring progress of the vehicle over Yordinary 1 terrain, but. over the aforesaid entanglements when. lying prone or at a height below the `severing range ofthe prow, and to ,sorelate i this propelling means withthe shell or housing of the vehicle,as to insure clearing the propelling 'means fromsuch entanglements M as the driving surface yof the propelling f means -draws within the housing'.

AnotherV object. is`to provide for auto f" matically steering the vehicle from a remote point, to .whichaendanother feature of the invention consists in providing a steering member, also vrunning upon the ground, ad- -justable upon a vertical. axis and having loppositelyfacting: electromagnetic actuators, f preferably in the form of a pairof solenoidsy ractingupon a common core, engaging the tiller, together with meansz forV selectively.. energizing the circuits .of the respective'A actuators'.` yThe means for selectively closing" the circuits of-.the actuators may be--either vvv tuned circuit closers, responding to` 4specic f Yelectrical oscillations 'of diferentlperiods' s Aadapted to be transmittedthrough space.; or

' l -these circuit .closers may be of- 'a form adapt-f;v

ed to be actuated by successive impulses of an 'electromagnet in circuit with an electric speeication or Leiters Patent; -patented July 3,1911 Application iledFebruary 17, 19.16. Serial No. '.?8,990. i

conductor reaching to the point of control y and paid out during the progress of the ve-- hicle, said electromagnet being responsive to momentary interruptions or other modifications in the current supplied through said conductor.

A further object is to p"ro`vide the -vehicle with means of offense rendered active at will from the distant point of control,to which end another feature consists in providing an eXploslve container, either in a form which will involve. destruction of the vehicle, thus lending to the vehicle the charatcer of 'a tor- 1 pedo, or in the form that will deliver an eX- ploslve charge without injury to the vehicle,

v such for instance as a gun mounted upon theA vehicle., in accordance with the. method of providing ships with. torpedo tubes.; said eX- plosive being ignited either for detonation in the vehicle, or for expulsion'from and deto-` y.nation outside the vehicle; the initial igniv tion of the explosive being effective by space transmission of electrical energy.

lThe invention will be understood upon reference f to the accompanying drawing,

showing one villustrative embodiment there.

of, vin which drawing- Figure lis avertical longitudinal section.

ments of equipment;

vvFig. 2 is a plan'view' of the same with the portion of the yshell lor casing, which lies over the electrically actuated steering mech-v anism and the 4cable drum, removed;

Fig. `3 is la schematic view of electrlcal rent utilized for propelling the vehicle and Fig. 4 is a View on va reduced scale of a complete vehicle "having exposed thereon,

suitable collecting conductors for the reception of electrical energy transmitted through pace for .actuating thev different elements of, l

control. l

1 represents -a l'shell or' `housing having a vof a completeI vehicle with itsvarious eleequipment for actuating the' steering mechanism by temporary interruption of 'the curipo 'vertically .positioned wedging prow'2 termi` v, nating in a bill composed of'relatlvely movable ser-rated members 3,13?, Aadapted to .out -wire or .other like .barrierLformmg materlal encountered the: progress of lthe vehicle; `4 represents, driving` wheels of any. suitable l number and positioned? to .afford support-of l necessary' stability forv :the vehicle 1n its travel; and 5 represents a rear steering wheel.

The cutters 3, 3 are operated by a lever 6 fulcrumed at 6EL andhaving its rear end 6b in position to receive a cam 7 adapted-to dedivert the travel of. the vehicle 'to the right,

press the end of the lever in opposition to a return spring 8 in order to oscillate the lever and develop reciprocating motion in the movable member 3a of the cutter.

Traction surface for the wheels 4 is provided by any suitable construction of end-,- less belt 9 constructed with spurred bearing shoes. According to the present invention, thls driving member is so related to the housing 1 that in passing up through the rear end of the opening 10, any wire or other material adhering to the traction meinber will be stripped ofc'.

rThe steering wheel has a caster mounte', ing 11 with substantially vertical axis ofrotation and a tiller 12 projecting forward into. engagement, through slot and pin .connection 13, with a core 14 of magnetic material that serves in common for solenoids 15y and 1 6, the arrangement lbeing such that-if the; solenoid 1.5' is energized, the tiller willV be' drawn to the left and the steering wheel will but if-the solenoid 16 is energized, the'tillie'r will be drawn to the right and the steering Wheel set to divert the travel of the vehicle to the left. 17 represents a vpair of vsprings adapted to return the tiller 12'hto' intermediate position whenever the 'solenoids are both denergized. With this arrangement, the direction of the vehicle may be accurately controlled by energizing at will, either solenoid 15 or 16 until the' vehicle attains the) desired course .and then denergizing both solenoids, so that the tiller resumes its :fore and aft positionand maintains the new direction of travel. f

In order to close a circuit of either solenoid'at will, each circuit may be provided withja circuit closer controlled by electrical @energy transmitted' through space and each .requency; but I such as shown in .tuned to respond only to a predetermined pBrefer to employ a device ig. 3, -wherein 18 represents'any suitable source of current; 19a switch controlling the supplyA of .current to l the conductors-20 and-21; 22ay brush con.l`

necting wire 20constantlybvvith a' disk 23 of.V` conducting material;"24 pms of non -con-4 'ducting material a1'1d525- apinofconducting V. A. material von said.-disk`;f26, 27. brushes conl., the pins '24; orl 255,' -accflnrding to theipositionsj of said pins;fand-.28.`a' ratchetfcarried by thejf jpand having al .l e l'e 'urn the core 'control of afsclenoid 31,'` "ring32, sothateach the solenoid-Eis en'er "zeda'nd thenv `energized, the pawl 29 vwill evelopa, stroke suilicient to rotate the diska distanceif one q pin. With vlthis arrangement, is' simply interruption o`f currentinbsaid .oppositeffdead pins dead: pins to pe venergizing -steps that steps, alternated g betw housing 33, whethergi -b typefed by the circuit Wires 0,

Ia reducingpulley 36 onthe Ashaft of pulley plosive :which Il'lly vtak-e any of the forms' e1ready'Sggested--. i w l necessary to 'suitably'introduceftlie solenoid 31 into the circuitQO, 21,'"by`conection in shunt, as shown, orin;ser1e`s if preferredi' otherwise make it amenable jtotli4 y' order to bringthe brushe 6, 2jsii'ccessi'vely onto the differenti pairs o diametricallyiop. posite pins 24,25rf-j-'I`her areh'jnunlberfj lof pins of the res'pectiv;ligflsfaiid'A they are so positioned thatthe'fbrush'e two-'. dead pins 'whenf'both" 'i denergi'zed; that one step Willibring -botl fb us vWill' bringA the brus brush. 26 upon. each' alternatev step 1b p resume its straight' :pg

Thus by merely'y lfopenin tributer 23 may; bef develop hicle maybe steered at. ill

The current: distribv n y mechanism willprefe ab mission. typey In -Order to pfp'lfthezy its cutter, I preferably?,

under control ofthe 's itch' arrangement of cui-ren p steering mechanism, the main normallygclosedlto l v V 34 andv it willmerely-beynecessarytn y .l rupt the iiow `of `currentimornent'arily.todef velop the step-by-step moveme 'tinth' 'I tributer 23,:,wh1ch Iwill v.notf v'suflicie'nt 'to materiallylinterfere with-the'f ,repulsion of the vehicle. vDriving 'connection' from the motorl may. be j conveniently."arrangedy throughA a belt 35f'and pulley36 on the shaft of cam 7, and a second belt37 running-from 38 on the 'shaft'ot'one ofthe 'tions by space transmission of electrical energy, .and 40 represents'a container for ex.

In order toI supply currentftothe vehicle s fromadistant-sorce of supply, that is tov .sayin orderfto 'maintain theeircu'it 20,21,

from the4 source 18,- the conductors 'of this circuit are,-` embodiied a .cable '41'- Awound the 'yehicle .in avjwell- 130.

known manner and have their ends at the inner end of said cable'in distributing relation to the-wires a, 21a, as shown in Fig. 1.

.I claim 1. .A self-propelling vehicle having at its end a cutting device; the forward end of thev vehicle being wedge-shaped, and the cutting device lying. in the direction of the edge of the wedge; said cutting device comprisinga pair of relatively reciprocating serrated cutters, and means for propelling said vehicle and operating said cutting shear, comprising a driving shaft having belt connection with a traction means for said vehicle and having a cam for operating said cutting shear.

2. A self-propelling vehicle-having at its end a mechanically operated cutting shear;

the forward end ofthe vehicle being wedgeshaped, `and the cutting device lying in the direction of the edge of the wedge; the edge of the wedge being vertically disposed, said cutting shear comprising a stationary shear made up of a portion of saidwedge, and a shaped, and the cutting device lying in the directionof the edge of the wedge; the edge of the wedge being vertically `disposed, and

the vehicle embodying an inclosing shell, the walls of which extend rearwardly in continuation of the thick portion of the wedge, one of the elements of the said shear comprising a portion of the vehicle shell,`and

v the other element of the shear comprising a reciprocatory shear mounted forvmovementy relative to the stationary shear, a pivoted lever for operating said reciprocatory shear, a cam for moving said lever in one direction,

v and 'a spring for moving it in the opposite directionf 3. A self-propelling vehicle having at its end` a mechanically operated cutting shear; the forward end of the `vehicle being wedgebar mounted for reciprocatory movement and adapted to be actuated by a rocking lever pivoted upon the first-mentioned portion of lthe shear and having one end engaging in a recess in the other portion ofthe shear; A

said lever having its other end resting upon a cam, said cam being driven by a prime with shoes for contact with the surface; the

shell or casingbeing adapted to strip from the traction means, objects entangled'therewith.

The foregoing specification signed at Dallas, TeXas, this 24th day of January, 1916.

-HENRY E. ELROD. 

